BNP Paribas Financial Markets Purchases 49,021 Shares of Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Free Report) by 67.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 121,613 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 49,021 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Sanofi were worth $5,865,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Sanofi by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 810,602 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,095,000 after purchasing an additional 153,935 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Sanofi by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 123,689 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,966,000 after acquiring an additional 5,532 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Sanofi by 1,210.4% during the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 69,475 shares of the company's stock worth $3,351,000 after purchasing an additional 64,173 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Sanofi by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Guardian Capital LP now owns 113,296 shares of the company's stock worth $5,464,000 after purchasing an additional 1,327 shares during the period. Finally, Regal Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Sanofi in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,034,000. 14.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sanofi Price Performance

Shares of SNY traded up $0.82 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $51.68. 2,724,204 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,373,094. Sanofi has a 12 month low of $45.80 and a 12 month high of $60.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market cap of $130.56 billion, a PE ratio of 20.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.55. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $53.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.92.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $10.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.79 billion. Sanofi had a net margin of 12.77% and a return on equity of 25.61%. Sanofi's revenue for the quarter was down 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Sanofi will post 4.36 EPS for the current year.

Sanofi Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $2.0369 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Sanofi's previous annual dividend of $1.48. This represents a yield of 3.1%. Sanofi's payout ratio is 57.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SNY has been the subject of several recent research reports. Hsbc Global Res raised Sanofi to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Sanofi in a research note on Friday, March 21st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $65.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Sanofi in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $65.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Sanofi to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Sanofi from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sanofi has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.33.

Sanofi Profile

Sanofi, a healthcare company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of therapeutic solutions in the United States, Europe, Canada, and internationally. It operates through Pharmaceuticals, Vaccines, and Consumer Healthcare segments. The company provides specialty care, such as DUPIXENT, neurology and immunology, rare diseases, oncology, and rare blood disorders; medicines for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; and established prescription products.